Today we suggest you talk about what is atrial tachycardia. In addition, we will analyze many questions: classification, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and so on.
Before we get to the heart of the issue, I would like to note the following fact: PT (atrial tachycardia) is observed in people with heart problems, but often this disease is noticed in absolutely healthy people.
Despite the fact that in most cases the disease proceeds in a mild form, unpleasant symptoms require medical treatment (we will also talk about this later).
As the name suggests (atrial tachycardia), the source of the disease is the atrium. The causes of the disease are numerous: from smoking and overweight to atrial surgery and chronic diseases of the lungs and cardiovascular system.
What it is?
To begin with, atrial tachycardia has a lesion (a small area where the disease occurs). It is in the focus that stimulation of faster contractions of the heart occurs by generating electrical impulses. So the heart rate in a person becomes more frequent.
As a rule, the generation of these pulses is unstable, they occur not so often. In this case, the disease is called "paroxysmal atrial tachycardia." However, there are cases when this happens constantly for several days or months. It is worth noting that the focus may not be the only one that is seen in older people or those who suffer from heart failure.
In addition, we note atrial tachycardia with AV blockade, this is a rather serious disease, which is a type of arrhythmia. Localization is the atrium. The disease may not manifest itself for a very long time, but then its manifestations become quite frequent and stable. Jokes are bad with heart diseases, for example, this problem can cause instant death or syncope. Immediately make an explanation of the last term - short-term fainting state. Recognizing the attack is quite simple - the heart begins to beat faster, from 140 to 190 beats per minute.
The constant manifestations of the accelerated work of the heart muscle is a serious reason to visit a cardiologist, because a disease depletes your heart.
Kinds
In total, three types of atrial tachycardia are distinguished:
- With a blockade.
- Monofocal (from 100 to 250 contractions of the heart muscle per minute with a constant rhythm).
- Multifocal (a distinctive feature is an irregular rhythm).
In addition, it is worth noting that atrial tachycardia can have one or several sources. Based on this, all types can be divided:
- monofocus (one focus);
- multifocal (several foci).
Classification
Now we give a classification of this disease in several ways. The first is the localization of the pulse generation site. In total, three types stand out:
- sinoatrial reciprocal (localization - sinoatrial site);
- reciprocal (localization - atrial myocardium);
- polymorphic atrial tachycardia (may have one or more lesions).
The next sign of classification is the course of the disease. For convenience, we have given a table.
| Variety | Course of the disease |
| Paroxysm of atrial tachycardia | A distinctive feature is the presence of seizures that begin and stop suddenly. In time, the attacks may be different, but in them you can notice the regularity of the rhythm |
| Non-paroxysmal tachycardia | This variety has subspecies: - tachycardia having a long course;
- having a relapsing course.
It is important to know that non-paroxysmal tachycardia is a rather rare occurrence. |
The last sign of classification is the mechanism that affects the appearance of an impulse. As in the previous version, for convenience, a table is provided.
| Variety | Cause |
| Reciprocal | There may be several reasons: - the presence of a disease of the cardiovascular system;
- improper selection of medicines;
- the wrong choice of procedures for treatment.
In this case, the heart rate varies from 90-120 beats per minute |
| Automatic | Often seen in young people. The cause of automatic atrial tachycardia is physical stress. This kind does not require treatment |
| Trigger | Here we see the opposite picture. Trigger tachycardia can often be found in older people. The reason may be: - physical stress;
- cardiac glycoside intake
|
| Polytopic | This variety may appear due to severe lung disease. In addition, polytopic tachycardia may be associated with a disease called heart failure. |
Causes
Let's try to understand the causes of atrial tachycardia. This disease can occur for many reasons, including heart disease, valve dysfunction, heart damage or its weakening. The causes of the latter factor can be a heart attack or inflammation.
In addition, at risk are drug addicts and alcoholics, people with metabolic disorders. The latter is possible if the activity of the thyroid gland or adrenal glands is increased.
It is worth mentioning right away: in most patients the true cause of the disease has not been established. If the doctor suspected atrial tachycardia, then he must prescribe several studies:
- blood analysis;
- electrocardiogram of the heart (easier - ECG);
- electrophysical research.
This is all necessary to determine the cause of tachycardia. But it is worth pre-setting yourself that the true origins of the disease will not be established for sure. This is especially true of the elderly. Attacks of atrial tachycardia in them is a common occurrence. So it is customary to consider this as the norm.
So, we list a few more reasons for atrial tachycardia:
- excess weight, which is the source of many diseases (especially for the human cardiovascular system);
- high blood pressure;
- endocrine system diseases;
- chronic diseases of the lungs;
- taking certain medications and so on.
Symptoms
Symptoms include:
- rapid contraction of the heart muscle;
- shortness of breath
- dizziness;
- chest pain;
- the appearance of feelings of anxiety and fear;
- darkening in the eyes;
- a feeling of lack of air.
Immediately, we note that the symptoms are not the same for everyone, someone can feel the whole complex listed above, and someone will not notice how the attack goes. Most symptoms have no symptoms at all, or only a fast heartbeat is noticeable.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that more often signs can be noticed by young people than older people, since in the latter case, an increase in heart muscle contractions, as a rule, goes unnoticed.
Diagnostics
If you notice signs of atrial tachycardia in yourself, then you should consult a cardiologist. The doctor must direct you to a number of studies:
- UAC;
- OAM
- biochemical analysis;
- ECG (according to Holter);
- Echocardiography;
- ultrasound examination of the heart;
- blood test for hormones.
But still, the only way to diagnose the disease is to conduct an ECG at the time the attack begins. If you describe the symptoms to the doctor, then he can conduct an ECG according to the Holter method (monitoring the patient's heart for 24 or 48 hours). If this option is not possible, then the cardiologist can provoke an attack during the electrophysiological examination.
Differential diagnosis
How the atrial tachycardia on the ECG looks like, you can see in the photo of this section of the article. Distinctive features:
- the right rhythm;
- heart palpitations;
- the PP interval is not the same;
- tooth P is either negative or at the same level with T.
It is mandatory to exclude:
- sinus tachycardia (features: heart rate up to 160 per minute, gradual development and decline);
- sinus-atrial paroxysmal tachycardia (features: P configuration is normal, mild course, stops with antiarrhythmic drugs).
Is the disease dangerous?
Before we proceed to the treatment of atrial tachycardia, we find out whether it is dangerous for human life. Despite the possible unpleasant symptoms of this ailment, the disease does not pose a serious danger to life.
If you do not have a constantly rapid heartbeat, then the heart muscle can easily cope with attacks. It is also important to note that these same attacks do not entail any other heart problems. An exception is the presence of complications (an example is angina pectoris). As mentioned earlier, the presence of rare attacks is not dangerous, but what if the heart is forced to work hard for a long amount of time (days or even weeks)? The constant increase in heart muscle leads to its weakening. To avoid this, treatment is necessary.
There is no risk of blood clots and stroke, therefore, there is no need to take blood thinners (anticoagulants). The only recommendation of a doctor is taking Aspirin or more powerful analogues, such as Warfarin. The need to take the last drug is when the patient has other disorders of the heart (for example, atrial fibrillation, which is characterized by a violation of the heart rhythm).
Treatment
Treatment is selected by an experienced specialist individually. We can say that the selection of medicines is done by trial and error. As a rule, atrial tachycardia is asymptomatic, so treatment is not necessary here.
Drug therapy or catheral ablation is necessary in two cases:
- the presence of unpleasant symptoms;
- frequent attacks are at risk of heart enlargement.
Atrial tachycardia with AV blockade requires urgent withdrawal of glycosides (if the patient takes them). A solution of potassium chloride helps to stop the attack, or rather, its intravenous drip. In addition, phenytoin is used.
Forecasts and Prevention
Prevention measures include:
- active lifestyle;
- proper nutrition;
- healthy sleep (at least 8 hours);
- maintaining healthy lifestyles (giving up cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and so on).
Overfatigue and stressful situations must be avoided. The prognosis for this disease is favorable. If you follow the recommendations of a doctor, then atrial tachycardia does not pose a serious danger to human life.